Storage and display counter for stores.



PATENTE'D DEC. 6, 1904.

. I s. 3. WALKER. STORAGE AND DISPLAY comma FOR STORES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 22. 1904.

2 EHEBTS-8HEET 1.

NO MODEL.

PATENTED DEC. 6, 1904.

S. S. WALKER,

STORAGE AND DISPLAY COUNTER FUR STORES.

APILIOATION FILED APR. 22. 1904.

N0 MODEL UNITED STATES Patented December 6, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

SILAS S. WALKER, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO CHARLES C. OLOE, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

STORAGE AND DISPLAY COUNTER FOR STORES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 776,707, dated December 6, 1904.

Application filed April. 22, 1904.

T0 alt whom 712'; may concern:

Be it known that I, SILAs S. WALKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Indian apolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana, have invented new and useful Improvements in Storage and Display Counters for Stores; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to counters for retail stores; and it has particular reference to counters having combined storage and display bins in which various articles of merchandise may be displayed while being conveniently held awaiting sales.

The objects of the invention are to provide store-counters of improved form and construction wherein the greatest amount of space may be utilized for storage purposes and to provide improved storage-bins in which the merchandise may be conveniently displayed and protected against undesirable handling and also against dust.

The invention consists in improvements generally in store-counters, and particularly in improved forms of display bins and devices; and the invention consists, further, in the novel parts and in the novel combinations and arrangements of parts, as hereinafter particularly described, and finally pointed out in appended claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of a short store-counter constructed substantially in accordance with the invention; Fig. 2, a rear elevation of the counter, in which two of the bins thereof are shown as being open to receive stocks of goods; Fig. 3, a transverse sectional view at the plane of the broken line 1 1 in Fig. 1, two of the bins in other planes being open to receive goods and also open so that goods may be removed therefrom; Fig. 4, a fragmentary detail view of a gate whereby beans, peas, or the like may be permitted to run out of certain display-bins; and Fig. 5 is a frag- Serial No. 204,336. (No model.)

mentary top plan View of the counter, in which various parts are broken away to cx- 5 pose parts in lower planes.

Similar reference characters in the several figures of the drawings designate corresponding parts or features.

In construction the counter comprises suitable framing and may be made in various sizes, the lengths particularly varying according to special requirements. Usually two tiers of bins are provided, the bins in the upper tier having less capacity than those in the lower tier, the upper ones being designed to accommodate the smaller and better grades of articles and the lower ones the larger articles. The counter has a bottom comprising a horizontal portion A and a connected in- 5 clined portion A, providing bottoms for the lower bins, and ends B and B are attached to the bottom and extend to the top of the counter. A low show-case front C is attached to the bottom portion A and provides front walls 7 for the display or lower forward portions of the lower bins, extending upwardly a suitable distance. At the opposite side or rear of the counter a back D extends upwardly a suitable distance from the bottom portion A and provides the rear walls of the lower bins. The bottoms of the ends of the counter at the rear thereof are connected and braced by a frame-sill a. A bin-front E extends from end to end of the counter in a vertical plane 30 between the planes of the front C and the back D, extending upwardly from a horizontal plane somewhat above the top of the front O to a plane approximately as high as the top of the back D, the front E forming upper 5 front walls of the lower bins.

Above the lower bins is a partition c0mprising a horizontal portion F, resting on the front E, and a connected inclined portion F, extending to the plane of the back of the 9 counter somewhat above the top of the back D, so that openings are provided above the back through which articles may be dumped into the lower bins. The partition provides roofs for the lower bins and also floors or bottoms for the upper bins, and it extends forwardly beyond the front E, so as to form parts of overhanging display-cases for the smaller articles.

The counter is divided transversely by a suitable number of vertical partitions, as Z) and 0, extending from the bottom AA to the top of the counter through portions of the partition F F, and by other shorter partitions, as d and 6, extending from the partition or floor F F to the top of the counter, thus providing smaller bins in the upper tier than those in the lower tier. The partitions, as b and 0, extend to the front C and have inclined tops from the front C to the front E, on which are screen-lids comprising frames G G G of wood or metal, and wire-netting f, secured to each frame, the frames being hinged to the front E and extending ontothe front (I. Each frame or lid is provided with a handle g. A suitable number of catches it are connected to the overhanging floor F for temporarily holding open the screen-lids, as G, when removing articles from the display-bins. It should be understood that a number of bins may be covered by each lid, if preferred.

In order to provide conveniences for filling the lower bins as wellas to close them, combined doors and chutes, as H H H are hinged to the top of the back D and extend to the roof portion F, each one having a draw-pull c' and also a pair of sides 1'. Chains 7c (orcords) are provided for holding the door-chutes in inclined positions when open.

A low show-case front I is attached to the forward edge of the partition part F, and the vertical partitions that are above the partition F F have portions that extend to the front I and have inclined tops, from the higher parts of which extend panel-work comprising rails J and K, connected to the vertical partitions above the fioor F F, and glass plates N, set in the rails and the vertical partitions, a glass-plate front being provided for each upper bin. The tops of the forward display portions of the upper bins are covered by lids comprising each a frame L or L, in which a glass plate w is set, the lids being arranged to slide horizontally, each two adjacent lids to slide one above the other in guides. WVhen preferred, however, these lids may be hinged either to the front I or to the rail J, as is obvious. In each upper bin is an inclined guard M, projecting inwardly from the rail J and provided with an adjustable guard M, arranged beneath the same on guides Z and provided each with a handle m. The guards M extend beyond their guides, and thus sufficient friction is obtained to hold them in place. Each upper bin is provided with an inclined shelf 0, extending upwardly from the rail J behind the glass N, the shelves being supported removably on cleats n, secured to the vertical partitions, as (Z. A counter-top P extends over all of the upper bins from the rear thereof nearly to the rail K, a lid Q being hinged to the top P, extending to the rail, so that access may be had to the bins for cleaning the glass plates N and the shelves 0.

In order to close the rear portions of the upper bins and facilitate supplying them, they are provided with combined doors R R R R R R and chutes attached thereto comprising each a bottom 1), slidingly supported on the inclined portion F of the bin-floor and having grooves s in the sides thereof receiving guides 0 attached to the partitions, such as (Z, sides It being attached to the bottoms 1) and to the doors. Each door has a draw-pull qsecured thereto. Since unusually high counters are undesirable, the openings at the rear ends of the upper bins are usually of less height relatively than the drawings would seem to indicate, and the sliding combined doors and chutes are therefore desirable in order to obtain hoppers in which to dump the articles for filling the upper bins through small openings. In unusally high counters, however, the upper bins may be provided with the hinged doors and chutes, as are the lower bins, permitting pails or the like to partly enter the bin-openings in discharging their contents into the bins.

The overhanging portions of the bottoms of the upper bins, or as many of them as may be desired, are provided each with an aperture to and a gate-frame S, having a spout T, a gate U being arranged in the frame and pivoted thereto, so as to swing across the aperture 24, the gate being normally held in closed position by a spring V and provided with a curved projection o for opening the gate.

In practical use show-cases, scales, and various articles may be placed upon the counter, as is usual. The bins are to be supplied or filled through the rear openings by means of the chutes, the articles gravitating into the show-case portions of the bins at the lower forward parts thereof, so that samples of the articles may be seen through the lids there provided and the articles may be retailed therefrom, thus delivering exactly what may have been seen by the purchaser. In order to show the less bulky articles in the upper bins to better advantage, samples thereof will be placed on the shelves 0 against the glass plates N, thus making attractive displays in desirable positions. The guards M may be adjusted to prevent articles from passing too freely under the lids L or L when open and when the latter are closed to permit free passage to the gates below.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new is 1. A storage and display counter including bins each having a storage-section and also a display-section connected with the storage-section, the storage-section having a combined door and chute, and the display-section having a movable lid adaptedto expose articles beneath the lid.

2. A storage and display counter including a plurality of bins in the lower portion there of and also a plurality of bins in the upper portion thereof, each having less capacity than either of the bins in the lower portion thereof, each bin comprising a storage-section and a communicating display section provided re spectively witha combined door and chute and a lid adapted to expose goods, the upper portions of the bins in the upper portions of the counter having glass plates, and a countertop extending over the bins in the upper portion of the counter comprising a stationary part and a hinged part.

3. A storage and display countercomprising a lower tier and an upper tier of bins each bin having communicating storage and display sections, the storage-sections having inclined floors, doors having chute sides and hinged to the rear walls of the lower tier of bins, links connected to the doors and suitably anchored in the bins, screen-lids covering the display-sections of the lower tier of bins, combined doors and chutes sliding on the floors of the upper tier of bins in the storage-seetions thereof, lids covering the display-sections of the upper tier of bins, guards in the upper tier of bins, glass plates at the upper front portions of the upper tier of bins, inclined shelves behind the glass plates, a counter-top, and a lid hinged to the counter-top.

4:. In a store-counter, a plurality of lower bins having each a floor the rear portion of which is inclined and provided with a showcase section at the front thereof having a screen-lid, in combination with a plurality of upper bins covering the lower bins, and doors for the lower bins arranged at the rear there of beneath the rear portions of the upper bins.

5. Ina store-counter, a plurality of covered bins having each a display-section at the front thereof and having a floor the rear portion of which is inclined, the rear of the bin provided. with a combined door and chute having sides and sliding on the inclined portion of the floor, in combination with a plurality of bins arranged beneath the plurality of covered bins and having display-sections extending below the forward portions of the display-sections of the covered bins.

6. In a store-counter, the combination with a plurality of lower bins having display-sections at the lower front portions thereof, of a plurality of upper bins having display-sections extending partially over the tops of the display-sections of the lower bins and provided with dischargegates at the bottoms thereof, lids on the display-sections of the upper bins, and doors at the rear portions of the upper bins.

7. In a store-counter, the combination with framing and easing, of a plurality of lower bins provided with display-sections having screen-lids, combined doors and chutes having sides hinged to the rear Wall of the lower bins, chains or links for supporting the doorchutes when open, a plurality of upper bins provided with display-sections extendingpartially over the tops of the display-sections of the lower bins and having guards therein provided with adjustable guards, inclined shelves in the upper bins, glass plates at the fronts of the inclined shelves, lids having glasses on the display-sections of the upper bins, a counter-top for the upper bins, a lid hinged to the countertop, and combined doors and chutes at the rear of the upper bins sliding on the floors thereof.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

SILAS S. IVALKER.

WVitnesses:

WM. H. PAYNE, E. T. SILvIUs. 

